Sadness...

Much discussion and planning before assaulting the castle was made. The plan had flaws but was workable. Unfortunately, the plan included warning the castle of trouble by lighting fires outside and only two characters were able to get over the barrier. Galen and Thondami tried to get the drop on the bandits but the elven mage in the tower was having none of it. Thondami tried a Silence spell but the elf wasn’t sounding an alarm anymore, he went back into the castle.

   Outside, Ilyander and Eleseraskulked about but made no attempt to climb the barrier. They decided to wait at the shrine to Marthammor.

   Slowly, Thondami followed the elf. As a mist, Galen explored the third level of the castle but found no one. On the second level, he found the brigand leader, Malvira and one of her men, Bald Balonry. As Galen coalesced, the brigands knew something was amiss and readied themselves for battle. As Galen fought the two bandits, Malvira called for more of her minions and two showed up, a resting thief, Yarik, and the mage from the tower with Thondami hot on the mage’s heels. In a tense but short hallway battle, the Bald Balonry fell to Galen. With a hefty backstroke, Yarik was nearly killed but surrendered. Malvira proceeded down the stairs while the mage vanished completely.

   As Galen ran down after her, Thondami electrocuted the prisoner to near death then tied him up and brought him down after Galen and Malvira. Galen left the stairs on the first floor thinking the leader was headed to the main entrance for escape but she actually went down another level to get her trump card, Lord Harkon Justheart. As Galen explored the great hall, Thondami and Malvira met in the stairwell. Seeing this as an opportunity, Yarik quickly shed his bonds and drew a hidden dagger. Surrounded, Thondami prepared for a beating but Malvira only demanded that he let her and Lord Harkon pass. Thondami refused, so Yarik threw a tanglefoot bag at his feet, rooting him to the spot. Laughing as she passed, with a dagger to Harkon’s neck, Malvira ordered Yarik to open the main doors. Galen hearing the door being opened quickly ran over and attacked Malvira. Not felling her, Malvira cut the lord’s throat, slaying him instantly. She then ran for the door.

   Outside, Ilyander and Elesera watched the leader exit the castle and killed her just five steps outside on the drawbridge. A total accounting showed the party killed three of the brigands (Yarik was slain by Galen as Malvira fled.) Meaning Octavio and the elf mage escaped.

   With the current issue resolved, the party decide to wait for the rest of the brigands to return before leaving, in case they are called upon to defend the castle. A service for Lord Harkon Justheart was held with Thondami officiating.

   Next, the Windswept Guardians must find a stone to flesh method of helping Artemis. Choices include, a male medusa, basilisk saliva, or a powerful mage. It’s said there are basilisk dens in the Serpent Hills and to the south they may ask Artemis’ guild leader, Nimozaran the Green, about it. Both Ilyander and Thondami know that a mage will require payment and possibly a service as well.

 So leaving Jarrow's tower, the Windswept Guardians head back to Castle Justheart. As they travel, Thondami takes stock of treasure claimed in the tower, a vast amount of potions and various sorcerous items. Bringing the petrified Artemis and Jarrow’s probable foot, the group tries to formulate a plan to penetrate or circumvent the barrier at the castle. Only 5 days remain before the deadline for Lord Justheart’s ransom. Also, Mandrake’s band of brigands are due to arrive at the castle in five days as well.

   Elexa Justheart tells the heroes that the barrier goes around the castle completely except above where rain water can enter the reservoir for water storage. It also goes down approximately 15 feet to prevent sappers. She does not know how high the barrier rises. But trebuchets rarely get above it. Straining his memory, Thondami realized the barrier was an altered Force Field spell.

   Riding next to a fast flowing, 20 foot wide river, they came under fire from archers and javelins. It seems a hobgoblin patrol was there and a small skirmish ensued. The battle was over quickly but the hobgoblin leader and the human mage with them managed to escape. The hobgoblin camp remains.

Recap

 

Lawcon 2023 recap

 

The party did lengthy exploration of a “funhouse” dungeon in the town of Stoneash. They explored four levels, mapping and adding to the map carved on a table in (tavern name). This earned them accolades from the Adventurers Guild they are members of. Several PC’s also leveled and trained.

 

The party then accept an escort mission for a diplomat to aid the war effort. However, they felt compelled to investigate Ashtar’s temple while travelling. Handling that situation, the party was forced to return and report that the temple mission was completed and the hobgoblins vanquished but they lied about the what they found, the Subtle Knife, and what the hobgoblins most likely sought. The party also failed to stop many hobgoblins from escaping from the temple.

 

Arriving at Castle Justheart, they were greeted by Melvaria, a brigand that had seized the castle, threw the lord in the dungeon, and erected a barrier that prevented entry to the party. Elexa Justheart told the party of her plight (her uncle, Lord Justheart will be slain unless she can pay 10,000 gp to the brigands within a tenday). Additionally, the brigands leader, Mandrake, was broken out of jail and will be arriving soon as well.

 

Elexa tells the party that the mage Jarrow created the barrier and may know how to take it down before Mandrake arrives. The party know they will be outnumbered if Mandrake returns before time, the bulk of the band went to free him. Elexa tells the party, there are about 5 brigands in the castle and that Lord Justheart sent most of his men-at-arms to the war effort and that the only servants remaining were constructs.

 

The hobgoblin forces seek the party for the knife and the Duchy of Haran will be confused and ill prepared for what’s to come. It has been approximately 1 tenday later when the party encountered some strangers disguised as druids. The bard regaled them with tales of the party’s prowess. Unbeknownst to the Windswept Guardians, these strangers were actually looking for them. Once their identity was confirmed, the “druids” summoned the Witch-King of Myth Nathar.

 

When the Witch-King arrived, Abernathy opened a portal at random and jumped through with Thondami, the rest of the party fled. Thondami returned immediately but Abernathy chose to open another portal and step through, never to be seen again. The Witch-King boldly stepped through the portals in pursuit of his prize.

 

The next day, the party returned to their camp, gathered their gear and went on to Jarrow’s Tower. At the tower, the party discover that Jarrow was slain by a three headed dragon-kin. Looting the tower (Artemis wanted to claim it before being petryfied) the party head back to Castle Justheart trying to figure out what to do next.

Subtle Knife Lore

 

Long ago the Dragon Queen Tiamat & Arch Duke of Hell Titivilus, fought in this region. They annihilated much of the countryside in their battle, killing hundreds of folks. No one knew why the devil and Tiamat battled but it could have something to do with the Blood War. No one could stop them so an adventurer with a knife that could cut the very fabric of reality suggested that he use it to trap both beings “somewhere else”. To get rid of the beings, a portal was opened in their path of destruction.

   The adventurer did not know how to close the portals once made and therefore used the knife sparingly. Unfortunately he was killed after making the portal, incinerated by lightning and flame. It took a Cabal of Mages to close the portal, trapping the beings in another plane.  More than half the mages died in the process of closing the portal.  No one knows which plane they were trapped in and the mages took the Knife, hiding it so no one could open a portal and free the dread creatures.

 

The Subtle Knife allows you to cut reality and open stable, permanent portals. The portals go just about anywhere, most are planar portals. How to close a portal is currently unknown.  The Knife has been not seen in many decades.